No campaign accuses DFA of 'propaganda'

Former MEP and chairwoman of the People’s Movement, Patricia McKenna, has accused the Department of Foreign Affairs of producing “propaganda” in favour of the Lisbon Treaty.

She claimed material contained in information booklets published by the Department and the Referendum Commission was selective and misleading.

"Both these documents are an abuse of taxpayers' money because both of them are designed in such a way as to try and influence the vote and get a Yes in October," she said.

"It ties-in with the propaganda coming out from the Department of Foreign Affairs…The Department of Foreign Affairs are putting out a lot of misleading information."

However, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin described his Department's material as accurate and correct. "It's
information provision, it's not advocacy," he said.

The chairman of the Referendum Commission, Mr Justice Clarke, last week said the Commission's information was impartial, as required by law.

Meanwhile, the patron of the People's Movement, artist Robert Ballagh, accused Mr Martin of making "misleading" statements meant to frighten Irish voters.

"The kind of fevered ramblings from Micheal Martin about a second-tier Europe. There is no second-tier Europe…I'm absolutely aghast that someone like Martin, who's the Minister for Foreign Affairs, could come out with misleading information like that," he said.

"It's utterly dishonest and what they're trying to do is frighten the Irish people into voting Yes by saying if you don't vote Yes we'll be thrown out of Europe. These are all lies."

Mr Ballagh said the Irish people could not be punished for voting No and there would be no legal consequences for Ireland within the Union.

"If we do vote No there will be I believe very definite consequences in Ireland, in that as sure as night follows day if Ireland votes no for Europe we'll see the back of this wretched government once and for all."

He said proponents of the treaty were refusing to discuss the detail of the document.

"It seems to me that a dissident in the Soviet Union had more chance of getting a story out than those who are interested in raising a debate on this treaty have of creating that debate," he said.

Mr Ballagh said the appearance of United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage on the Today with Pat Kennyshow on RTE Radio One yesterday morning was evidence of "bias in the media".

He said: "Why was this man chosen to represent the Irish no side? RTÉ selected him and there's been a continuing selection of people to represent the No side who I believe the establishment believes will not represent the No side well."

A spokeswoman for RTE said Nigel Farage was selected as a non-Irish European voice on what is an European-wide debate.

She said no political party or lobby dictated the selection of guests or panellists for RTÉ radio programmes.